published Friday, August 12th, 2011 at 9:00 pm by
Sebastian
A type of scale called a bebop scale is commonly used in jazz music. It has four different types of scales within it. These four types are known as the bebop dominant scale, the bebop major scale, the bebop Dorian scale, and the bebop melodic minor scale. All of these scales have an extra chromatic passing tone. Usually, bebop scales consist of normal, traditional scales with a little extra bit here and there to make it more smooth for jazz. An example of this is with a tone that begins as a chord tone on the downbeat, which makes it a little bit different from other types of scales. If it starts on a downbeat than the other notes would be on an upbeat, adding more depth to the songs.
Though there are people who add an eighth note to try to get this type of scale going, a bebop scale actually referes to the scales that were made popular during the bebop era. It can also be refering to those who still practice bebop today but it is most likely about the era, not the person. When someone says that they played the bebop scale, they are talking about the bebop dominant scale, which most definitely earned its name well. It has a chronic passing tone between the seventh tone and the root, which makes it stand out when compared to the rest of the bebop scales. The bebop Dorian scale is derived from the popular Dorian mode. You can tell this apart from others because its chronic passing tone is between the minor seventh and the tonic. The bebop melodic minor scale has a chronic passing between the fifth and sixth notes. It came from the melodic minor scale, though it was modified to fit bebop music.
It’s actually really interesting to learn all about the bebop scale. While there are only four major types of scales, the variety that they offer show exactly why bebop was so popular at one point in time. There are plenty of books to pick up if you’re really intersted in it and many artists who still practice authentic bebop or who put a more modern spin on it.